Mackenzie and I’s relationship was sparked long before we were fellow female entrepreneurs with the common interest of women-focused retail businesses. Matter of fact, we were introduced in 2005 in the sheep barn. Her Ag teacher in Bells, TX was my Ag teachers dad, so naturally we hauled + stalled to all the Texas jackpots + majors together. Mackenzie’s parents, Byron + Brenda were the ultimate “show parents” and completely took me under their wing. After I’d lose the sheep show my senior year at the Ellis Co. Fair, I’ll never forget the first text I had waiting for me when I got to the showbox was from Mackenzie. “I heard you got the shaft, you should have won. That sheep was dang good.” That meant so much to me then.
Our friendship would continue to grow as we both pursued our Ag Communications degrees at Texas Tech, though we spent much more time together at the Blue Light than on campus. Boyfriends, jobs, weddings, babies + now businesses, we’ve essentially grown up together.
I don’t think either of us realized it at in the infant stages of our businesses, but we’ve been pretty dang aligned from the start. When Brenda + Mac were branding Dry Land Decor in 2014, they turned to me and the marketing firm I worked for at the time to create the logo. “Dry Land”, an ode to their cotton farming lifestyle had to somehow depict styling a cotton boll. Two years later, I would also use cotton in the Heritage Style logo tributing the West Texas culture.
Nowadays, Mackenzie and I periodically bounce idea’s off of one another, share our successes and struggles and seek one another’s professional advice. We were both feeling the 2020 blues. I mean, COVID-19, right? Not necessarily monetarily, as we discussed on more than one occasion that we were “one of the lucky ones”. We were in the rare position that our businesses weren’t forced to close, and our loyal customers continued to support us. I know I found myself often navigating the weirdness waiting for the “other shoe to drop”. Neither of us really had any challenges or projects in the pipeline that we were “excited” about to focus on. One late night chat, Mackenzie prefaced a suggestion with “I know you’ve said before you’re not into the clothing thing but…. “ and the rest is history. Timing really is everything, right?
Mackenzie and I discussed what we’d call this project, we both agreed it wasn’t a “collaboration”, that it was much deeper than that.
When Heritage Style launched, my vision was a bigger picture than just selling jewelry. The Heritage Style brand would be a lifestyle, a confident female vibe. I never want my role to be simply pushing jewelry to the masses.
To squash a myth many of you are probably wondering: I am NOT getting in the clothes biz. If you know me, you know I love clothes. Growing up, I can’t tell you how many times I heard “Kelli, you’ve got enough clothes.”; “Kelli, you don’t need any dang clothes.” BAH! As a teen, I’d to use my waitressing tips to secretly buy new pieces, then hide them. Super rebel, I know…. Styling clothes has always been a hobby for me, and I intend to keep it that way! Plus, I’ve got my hands full slingin’ jewels 😉
So with all the love and excitement from myself, Mackenzie and her baby sister, Macauley (who joined us at Market), we bring to you, the “Dry Land Styled” Collection. A collection that I have personally curated one-by-one, with the idea that these practical, timeless pieces can be mixed and matched, and of course work effortlessly with real-good jewelry. I wanted to create the option of say 10 different classic looks with 4 pieces from the line. I could not be more pleased with the cohesiveness of the entire collection, and how EVERY SINGLE PIECE is “SO Kelli”. We’ve worked tirelessly on every detail of this project, right down to naming each piece after iconic streets in Lubbock that mean something to us + our friendship.
Make no mistake, I am not selling this collection, simply having a little fun with what I gravitate toward + how I’d style it with my everyday lifestyle. Whether you’re into the vibe of the collection or not, I have to appreciate the Heritage Style TRIBE for loving our brand + for being the ultimate hype girls. There’s no way I’d have the confidence to do something like this without that feeling of support from our people.
Hope ya’ll love this brainchild + its finished product as much as we do.
Mad Love, Cheers + Wreck ‘Em!
